♪♪♪ female announcer: The Bible
says to run in such a way as to get the prize, but God doesn't expect you
to run on empty. The way to fill up
your empty spiritual tank is to be empowered by praise. Worshiping the Lord will fill
your heart with joy and bring you into his presence
so you'll be able to run on his strength
and not your own. ♪♪♪ "Empowered by Praise." male announcer: Coming up next
on "Leading the Way." Dr. Michael Youssef:
"Empowered by Praise." You will experience power
in praising and thanking and blessing the Lord
as a lifestyle. Now the book is out. It's in the bookstores,
but also we have it here at Leading the Way, LTW.org. Do not miss out on the blessing
of learning how to be empowered in your life by knowing how
to praise God on a daily basis. God bless. announcer: The world is seeming
more on edge than ever. Amidst discouraging
cultural change, it's easy to find ourselves
dissatisfied, perhaps even at a crossroad
in our faith. You may be missing out
on the most thrilling and most satisfying part
of the Christian walk. In this special 20th anniversary
edition of his foundational book "Empowered by Praise,"
Dr. Michael Youssef will guide you into a richer
understanding of God that will forever change
your relationship with him. Filled with
practical scriptural guidance and stories
from his own personal life, Dr. Youssef's book explores
the blessings, challenges, and power of praise. This 20th anniversary edition
of Dr. Youssef's powerful book will help you refocus
and joyfully pursue God's glory. Dr. Youssef's book,
"Empowered by Praise" is available now
for your gift of any amount. Discover how praise can lift you
above difficult circumstances. Contact us today to get your own
copy of, "Empowered by Praise." Consider a generous gift today. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Dr. Youssef: The problem
with the word "praise," as soon as you mentioned it,
people always think of a praise band,
or they think of church music, or they think
of a praise concert, but the life of praise is far,
far, far greater than just singing a song. Singing can be part of it,
but the praise-filled life, which I'll be talking about
in the coming weeks, goes much deeper. The praise-filled life
is a daily, even moment-by-moment exercise
that is designed by God to lift us up
above our circumstances, to raise us up
above life's challenges that throws at us every day,
to empower us to live on a higher terrain,
to give us true joy in the middle of sorrow,
to breathe life in us in the middle of death,
and to bring healing in the middle of pain. Many of you are familiar
with my testimony, but I will testify
until the Lord takes me home whenever that might be. In the early days
of the birthing of this church, I was running haggard. I was having early appointments,
to late appointments, and my time with the Lord
got less and less and less until God put me
on my back for two solid weeks, and during that time,
the Lord so graciously got my attention
and began to minister to me. The Lord began to teach me
that I'm missing out on the life of victory
and triumph. Oh, I was preaching. I was studying the Scripture. Now, I was faithful to
exposition of the Word of God. I was ministering. I was counseling. I was serving, but the Lord
showed me very, very clearly and continues to--
I thank God for that-- that I cannot minister
effectively for him until I've spent adequate time
with him. From that day on, until today,
every morning, the moment my feet
hit the floor, I begin my time of praise
and worship and adoration of my Lord and Savior. And that, what ministering
to the Lord is all about, I remember the first time
with this double pneumonia on my back and saying, "Lord--" When the Holy Spirit
began to say, "You can't minister to people
until you minister to me," and I said, "Lord,
how do I minister to you?" And I spent 11 years
in seminary, and I was asking the Lord, "what it means to minister
to you?" And then, graciously he began
to teach me how to minister to the Lord before
I can minister to others. Now, if you think worship only
takes place in the church, if you think worship is only
through music, if you think worship is only
a public activities, you are missing out on the real,
daily, powerful living, and I pray, God,
that he will open our spiritual ears today. I am praying, in fact,
that this series of messages will ignite the power of God in
many a life, in many a home, and in many communities around,
ministries in this place. Why do I say this? Because, when you become
a praised-filled person, you will experience
transformation in life. When you experience
the strength of the will, only then will you experience
a higher level of faith. Only then will you begin
to experience a deeper level of victory like you have
never experienced before. Continuous praise
of the character of God and the attributes of God
and the graciousness of God, it's not something
that we do for God. No, no, no. You see, it is not bribing God
so he can do for us what we want him to do for us. It is not just something
we do so we can get on God's good side. That's the wrong understanding,
but rather, praise places us
in the very presence of God. And you say, "Well, Michael,
but isn't God everywhere? Doesn't the Bible say
that God is omnipresent?" Yes, and that is why Psalm 22,
verse 3-- Psalm 22 is a messianic psalm. Here's what it says in verse 3:
"You--" talking to God. "You inhabit--"
another translation says, "indwells." Another translation said,
"You tabernacle." Another translation said, "You're enthroned
in the praises of your people." Hear me right, please. How do you begin
your prayer time? Do you start with praise
and adoration and worship, just in gratitude for salvation,
or do you jump into that list? You've got to begin, not with
a petition but with praise, worship, and adoration. And if you do not do that,
you're missing out on the great power that can come to you from
that special presence of God during the time of praise. So today, I want to show you
four things the Lord has taught me
about the praise-filled life those many years ago. First of all, praise reveals
my true spiritual condition, not what I want to think but
my true spiritual condition. Secondly, praise refocuses
my personal destiny. And, thirdly,
praise reestablishes the rule of God in my life. And fourthly, finally,
praise reinforces my true relationship
with the Lord. Let's look at this very quickly,
very quickly. I'm not gonna dwell
too long on them. First of all, praise reveals to
me my true spiritual condition. In Matthew 12:34,
the Lord Jesus Christ said, "Out of the abundance of
the heart, the mouth speaks." We say it in the colloquial, "What's in the well comes out
in the bucket," right? Eh, it's the same.
That's where we got it from. We got it from the Lord. The Lord is telling us
that we cannot separate what we think from what we say. We can claim all we want, "Oh, I did not
really mean that." Yes, you did. Just say, "I meant it,
and I'm sorry about it." That's better. So if your heart is filled
with praise and thanksgiving, worship, and adoration,
then that's exactly what emanates out of your mouth. Imagine that there is a fan belt
between your thoughts and your mouth. I know occasionally, in my case,
that fan belt gets a little looser every now and
again and needs tightening. Don't get uppity.
I know you do too, heh, heh-heh. But that does not, does not,
does not negate the intrinsic connection
between what's inside of us and what comes out in words. And Jesus is saying
that our words expresses what we believe deep down,
and so praise reveal to us our true spiritual condition. Secondly, praise refocuses
my personal destiny. Now, I began by saying how much
this world hassles us, how much the world's problem
overwhelms us, how much the world's difficulty
continuously harassing us. Now, I'm just talkin'
about everyday struggles, but if you focus
on these problem 24/7, you will soon forget
your destiny in Christ. Your destiny will become
foggy and misty and unreal. Very soon, you're gonna
lose sight of that destiny that you destined
for the throne. You very soon will slide
into fear and pessimism and depression. Very soon, your life will lose
luster and joy and excitement. You don't think I know
what I'm talkin' about? This is not theory for me. I know it. I know it experientially. Listen to me: I am testifying
to you. I am pleading with you. I am imploring you to do
this today: Make a permanent change. Don't get temporarily affected. Make it a daily habit
for one week, and then make it another week,
and then make it another week. You will be pleased
of how blessed you are as you're doing this. You would form a daily habit
to bless the Lord first thing in the morning. Don't wait till late at
night when you're tired. Start the morning blessing
the Lord, blessing the Lord, lifting up the name of the Lord. That is gonna help you
overcome the fog. That daily exercise of
praising the names of Jesus, the attributes of God,
the character of God, the redemption
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins,
the grace and the mercy of God, if you do that, every morning
is gonna carry you on the wings of praise
all day long. All day long. When I miss a day, I know,
for whatever reason, it's seldom I do,
but when I miss, I know my life is
a mess all day. All day, I'm messed up
until I repent. Please try it every day
this week. Just try it every day. You'll never regret it. When my feet hit the floor,
I begin, as soon as I wake up,
by praising the name of Jesus. No matter what difficulty I face
that day, that comes my way, no matter what challenges
that I experience, no matter how painful
the news I may receive, I find that my eyes begin
to lift away from my current situation,
my current condition, into my heavenly position. My eyes immediately recognizes
the smallness of my problem in relationship to the bigness
of my God. My eyes immediately refocuses
from the temporary to the permanent. My eyes immediately begin to see
with clarity my eternal destiny. My eyes open
to the heavenly realm. Then and only then, the presence
of God fills me to overflowing when the praises of God
dominate my thoughts. When God's perspective
on my situation becomes my perspective, I'm lifted up. I'm lifted up. Praise reveals my true
spiritual condition. Praise refocuses
my personal destiny. Thirdly, praise reestablishes
God's reign on my heart. I said in the beginning
that God is everywhere, yes? But then we established
from Psalm 22, verse 3, that God is present
in a very special way, in a unique way,
in a way it's indescribable, a supernatural way
in the praises of his people. Here's a fact. I pray to God that
you'll never forget it. When God indwells or inhabits,
he rules. See, that's why we say,
"God is everywhere," yes, but God doesn't rule everywhere. He does not rule in the hearts
of those who have rejected him. That's why the Bible
in Romans 1, says, "He gave them up." He doesn't rule in their hearts,
but he rules in the heart of those who invite him
to come and to rule. And so, when the Bible says,
"God indwells," or literally pitches his tent
in the praises of his people, it means that God is ready
to take over. God doesn't take sides. If you ever get in a fight,
God doesn't take sides. He takes over. And that's why the Bible said, "The Holy Spirit of God
can be grieved, and he can be quenched
until you un-grieve him through repentance, and that is
why the praising of his name, the praising of his character,
the praising of his attributes, first thing in the morning,
is your invitation to him to come and rule in your life. Listen to me: You're spending
time in praising him. You are saying to him,
"You are my authority. You are my sovereign. You are my King. You are my ruler." God cannot be everywhere,
where he's invited, without taking over. He has to take over. God does not take sides. I said, "He takes over." And when you invite him
into your marriage, he's gonna take
over your marriage. When you invite him to come
to your home, he will take over your home. When you invite him to come
to your family, he takes over your family. When you invite him
in your business, he will take over your business. When you invite him to come
to your church, he will come and take
over your church. And that is why praise is
our explicit invitation for him to come and reign
and rule in our lives. And when he takes up residence,
indwells, inhabits, he rules, and that is why praise is
our clear invitation for God to come and rule
over our situations, and that is why praise is
the foremost means by which you invite God
to establish his authority over you. And, beloved, forgive me being
blunt, as if it's something new, but that's why there's
some believers, don't spend time praising God. God does not share
his authority, his rule, his power, or his glory,
with anyone. Either he takes over,
or he's grieved and quenched in a corner in your life. Finally, praise reinforces-- reinforces my relationship
with him. My relationship with him. Think how easy it is
and how quickly we fall in love with ourselves. How quickly and how easy
we fall in love with our ideas, how quickly and how easy we fall
in love with our talents and our abilities,
how easy it is to fall in love with our knowledge
and what we know and what we think. How easy it is to think so
highly of ourselves, who we are, who we know, and whom we know,
and what we've accomplished. And that is why daily we must
begin our day by continuously, unhurriedly--did you get that? Unhurried. You don't have to get up early? Get up early. Begin with praising
the name of God. Why? Because praise reminds me of
my sinfulness and my failures, but then immediately reminds me
of the awesomeness of the grace of God. Praise reminds me
of my limitation, but then immediately
it humbles me to think of how unmerited, unworthy I am of receiving
the grace of God. Praise reminds me of what a tiny
fraction of God's love and God's wisdom and God's power
I really comprehend. Praise makes me say with Job, "I know that you can do
all things. No plan of yours
can be thwarted. My ears have heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes." I'm getting close to the end,
so I don't want you to misunderstand the remaining
part that I wanna tell you. It's very important. The reason we recognize
that we are not, we are not, we are not worthy is not
because that we go around life moping and sulking,
"Oh, poor me." No, no, no, no, no, no. It's not going around
with long face, head down, "Oh, I'm sinful, I'm sinful,
I'm sinful," "I'm unworthy,"
"I'm a terrible person," "I can't do anything"--
No. Read my lips: "No." Say, "No," with me. If you do that, you have not
really learned the triumph that comes
through praise. You have not learned to minister
and to serve in God's power and strength and not yours. What praise does is
continuously, while we are realistic
about our sinfulness, yes, we are realistic
about our shortcomings, yes, but it's continuously
leading us to repentance and restitution and, therefore, victory and able to minister
with power and strength, not ours but his. Praise gives us deep, deep,
deep appreciation for the grace of God,
and that motivates you for life. And the more you are realistic
about our failures and inadequacies,
the more you can comprehend the depth of God's graciousness
toward you, and the more you comprehend
God's graciousness toward you, the more delight in yourself
you are in the strength of God, and the more you delight
yourself in Christ's strength, the more effective you are
for Christ, and that is why the Word of God
exhorts us to focus on praising the character
of God, the attributes of God. And I'll be unpacking
that in the next many weeks. Look at the samples of the men
of God in the Scripture. If you ask Isaiah,
"What is your life's purpose?" In 43:20, he would say, "That I might proclaim
his praises." If you ask Peter, after being
restored and repentant of his denial of his Savior,
and you ask him, "What is the life's purpose,
Peter?" After restoration,
he would say in 1 Peter chapter 1,
verses 6 and 7, "That I may bring praise, glory, and honor
to Christ Jesus my Lord." If you ask the Apostle Paul,
"What is your life's purpose?" In Ephesians 1, he would say,
"To the praise of his glory," praising his character. See that's what glory means. "Glory" doesn't mean fireworks
and all kinds of stuff. "Glory" is the character
of God, and when you praise
of his glory, it's you praising his character. If you ask
our Lord Jesus Christ, "What would happen
if your people do not praise you?" He would've said to us
in Luke 19:38-40, "If you don't praise me,
the stones will. The stones will." ♪♪♪ announcer: The world is seeming
more on edge than ever. Amidst discouraging
cultural change, it's easy to find ourselves
dissatisfied, perhaps even at a crossroad
in our faith. You may be missing out
on the most thrilling and most satisfying part
of the Christian walk. In this special 20th anniversary
edition of his foundational book "Empowered by Praise,"
Dr. Michael Youssef will guide you into a richer
understanding of God that will forever change
your relationship with him. Dr. Youssef: I think we are
so indebted to the Lord for everything, but we are
truly indebted to him for the ability to praise him
and to bless his name. It is within that praising
of God that we are blessed. announcer: Filled with
practical scriptural guidance and stories
from his own personal life, Dr. Youssef's book explores
the blessings, challenges, and power of praise. You can experience the deep
abiding joy of entering God's presence, seeing his power
on display in your life, and glorifying him
with all that you are. Discover four practical ways
to invite God to set up camp in your life as well as explore
the 11 names of God and what they reveal
about who he is. You can dive deep
with a comprehensive workbook which features practical
reflection questions and small-group activities. "Empowered by Praise"
is a powerful book that will especially help those
who are looking to have a vibrant, spiritual life. This 20th anniversary edition
of Dr. Youssef's powerful book will help you refocus and
joyfully pursue God's glory. Dr. Youssef's book,
"Empowered by Praise" is available now
for your gift of any amount. Discover how praise can lift you
above difficult circumstances and transport you
into God's presence and power like never before. Contact us today to get your own
copy of, "Empowered by Praise." Consider a generous gift today. ♪♪♪ announcer: "Leading the Way Live
with Dr. Michael Youssef" travels to New England
for a special landmark event, at the historic
Moody Center Auditorium in Northfield, Massachusetts,
Friday night, October 1. This one-night event
features music led by Juan Saa, and special musical guest,
Mac Powell. ♪♪♪ Then, Middle East expert and internationally respected
Bible teacher and pastor Dr. Michael Youssef
will deliver an important message
for our time. Dr. Youssef: God has placed
a special message on my heart from his Word,
and I hope to see you there. Please, bring your lost friends,
bring family, let's pray that God
will do a miracle that night. announcer: "Leading the Way
Live with Dr. Michael Youssef," at the Moody Center October 1. More info at LTW.org/events. "Leading the Way Live
with Dr. Michael Youssef," part of "Vision 2025." announcer:
Passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth, "Leading The Way"
with Dr. Michael Youssef thanks you
for your faithful support through your continued prayers
and gifts. ♪♪♪
